Thrust Flight

 19 Aug 26:

This summer has been too hot to spend much time small boatin', and I have been busy working at my full time gig as Flight Safety Manager at Hampton University. On Aug 19 we welcomed a new flight training partner, Thrust Flight out of Addison, TX. The first two planes flew in today and they are beautiful! Can't wait to fly the Piper Archer TX with modern Garmin G1000 nxi instrument panel, but a student was even more excited than me and he hopped in to check out the new ride. 

Catboat

 16 Sep 26:

Boat Garage & Sail Loft

 15 Aug 26:

Skipper's Lugger has a warn spot when not out seeking prizes, and we keep most of our small boat sails in the gargare to deter critters.

Our first workbench was about the size of the desk with the pegboard. We've grown a bit.

Small Boat Workshop — Top 5 Tips

 06 Sep 26:

Small Boat Workshop — Top 5 Tips

1. Put everything in the shop on wheels. The master rule, stated outright: "Skipper advised me a long time ago to put everything in the shop on wheels, so we can rearrange the shop per project." Benches, carts, pegboard, dust rig, boat cradles — all on locking casters.
2. Take the tool to the work — and do the dusty work outside. Build rolling tool stations thet we can roll out the door so sawing and sanding dust never settles in the shop.
3. Set every work surface to one common height. Saw table, benches, and portable in/outfeed tables all match, so long stock is always supported at a comfortable working height.
4. Cyclone dust collection + real respiratory protection. Run a Dust Deputy ahead of the ShopVac (sander→side port, vac→top port) — the bucket catches the dust and the vac filter stays clean — and also wear an the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for the job.
5. A place for everything, and everything in its place: Pegboard and dedicated homes for tools & parts. Pegboard for hand tools and small parts at shoulder height, wall-mounted chargers to free the bench, and a wall "pattern library" for templates.

Top shop lore: Keep a "moaning chair" (per Howard Chapelle) — a chair to sit and think through the "oops" that just happened, sip some coffee and think through the next job before we start it.

And maybe the top tip we ever got, from Skipper's brother Rick..."Hire a Pro." If the task/tools/materials/methods start to exceed our brainspace, push the Easy Button and hire a Pro. 

Here is Rick calculating whether it will be more fun running over Skipper and calculating the tools/materials/methods/cost of buying a new prop. 

British Seagull Takes Flight

05 Sep 26:

I bought a British Seagull a few years back to get a chuckle out of Skipper, her family had one back in the early 1980s with their Drascombe Lugger...but not for long...it never ran right. Fast forward and we sold the latest Seagull to Two Boat Tim. He drove up from Okracoke to pick it up and we were very pleased to find out that he is a Seagull Whisperer and was very happy to get this clean motor with associated Whitworth tools. TBT said the key is to avoid running the motor at idle, and he plans to use the Seagull for his spare. We also donated Sunfish booms and sail to a group setting up a youth sailing program on the island. 

Ebenezer Rosenwald Schoolhouse

 26 Aug 26:

Another side quest we have is volunteering with our local Historical Society. A new project to restore a 1926 African American Schoolhouse has entered a new phase, we got a contract to begin stabilizing the chimney and put on a new roof. To ensure saftey, we installed a new hasp and lock today.

Bahamas Dinghy HENNING Gunwale Paint.

22 Aug 26:

Tape in prep for gunwale paint.

Rolled the paint with a short nap velour roller.

We weren't sure which parts to paint of the frames, so we did the gunwales and the frame tops.

Gerorge Kirby color See Red.

Stray shower came through.

Log of HENNING.

Bahamas Dinghy HENNING First Interior Coat

 16 Aug 26:

We put the first coat of George Kirby Custom mix on HENNING, we might call it not sure what we'll call the color yet..

Marine Traffic Control Strips and a Clean Work Bench

 16 Aug 26:

We have these Marine Traffic Control strips from boats that have come and gone...there have been about 60 of them so far. Some day maybe we'll make the strips for the rest of the boats and have a nice wall display :) 

In other news we decluttered the top of the workbench, tossing some old bits and finding a home on the shelves for others.

Bahamas Dinghy HENNING Ready for Interior Paint

 15 Aug 26:

Bahamas Dinghy getting ready for interior paint.